Tevin Shaw 182-pound final story

Frustration was clearly in the eyes of Piscataway High senior 182-pounder Tevin Shaw. The match he had just come through was like so many he has experienced, especially the past few weeks.

Except this one was for a state title Sunday afternoon at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City in front of a crowd of more than 10,000.

Yes, Shaw is a football player who happens to wrestles, a football player bound for the University of Kansas, but that didn’t make a 4-3 loss to Jackson Memorial senior Dallas Winston any less acceptable.

Both Shaw and Winston were runners-up last season – Shaw to High Point’s Ethan Orr at 171 and Winston at 189 to St. Peter Prep’s James Fox.

Winston (28-3, 110-13) followed a plan that had been used to limit Shaw’s damage for weeks. Engaging Shaw in physical in an all-out physical confrontation wasn’t part of it.

Winston was smart and getting a first takedown made it even more difficult for Shaw. Winston’s three previous victories over the weekend were by 1-0, 11-0, 4-0 and beat Brick Memorial’s Anthony Miller 10-1 a week ago Saturday for the Region VI title.

“We knew he liked to counter,’’ said Piscataway football coach Dan Higgins, who assists Chiefs’ wrestling coach Mike Awad. “But Tevin just likes to wrestle. He’s not going out there and playing a cat and mouse game. He wants to mix it up.’’

Winston wouldn’t allow it.

He scored with a duck-under by the edge of the mat. Shaw tried a Granby roll at the end of the first. Winston selected defense to start the second and revered for a 4-0 lead before Shaw as cut free for one point. Shaw missed close on a takedown he thought he had at the edge of the mat with 1:12 left in the second.

“It felt like I had it,’’ said Shaw.

He chose defense to start the third, and was let go 22 seconds into the period to cut the deficit to 4-2. Not long after, Winston was hit with a stall warning, and then was hit with another one with fewer 30 seconds left in regulation, making it 4-3. But Shaw never had a clear look at a shot as the seconds disappeared.

“I just tried to keep it open and not let him grab so much so it would be harder to counter, but he’s a very good wrestler and he’s very good at what he does,’’ said Shaw, who finished 33-1 for the season and 132-11 for his career.

What exactly did Winston do to become Jackson’s 15th state champ and second in his family, joining brother Scott, the Rutgers’ 165-pounder and three-time state champ?

“I was thinking I’d ride him for about a minute and then I’d stall it out on my feet, or grind it out on feet and do whatever I had to do,’’ said Winston. :”It really was hard to hold down him down, he kept moving. I got maybe 30 seconds, maybe.’’

Shaw was hoping to become the fourth state champ in program history and the first one since 1972 when 136-pounder Jay Stuart won. Stuart, an assistant coach for Watchung Hills, was watching, hoping that Shaw would join a very exclusive club.

Shaw, who helped Piscataway win back-to-back North 2 IV football titles, said he won’t completely leave wrestling behind when he heads to Kansas.

“When I come back to Piscataway I’ll probably get in the room and help them out,’’ he said.

About Greg Tufaro

Greg Tufaro is in his 20th year as a sports writer at the Home News Tribune, where he has covered recreational, collegiate, scholastic and professional sports. He is a graduate of Rutgers University. Greg lives in Central Jersey with his wife Cyndi and their 5-year-old daughter Marisa.